Milan, 18 Sept. (LaPresse/AP) – Voting has begun in Russia’s parliamentary elections, with the main Kremlin-linked party, United Russia, set to retain its overwhelming control of the State Duma, the lower house. Polling began today in the Russian Far East. The political and economic landscape, however, has visibly changed four and a half years on from the start of Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine. The economic costs are rising, Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries and logistics infrastructure have caused extensive damage, and public opinion – which no longer perceives the conflict as something distant – appears increasingly uneasy and war-weary. These challenges have prompted the Kremlin to stifle even the slightest signs of dissent in the run-up to the elections, the first since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Russia: Polls open for the new Duma elections
Milan, 18 Sept. (LaPresse/AP) – Voting has begun in Russia’s parliamentary elections, with the main Kremlin-linked party, United Russia, set to retain its overwhelming control of the State Duma, the lower house. Polling began today in the Russian Far East. The political and economic landscape, however, has visibly changed four and a half years on from the start of Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine. The economic costs are rising, Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries and logistics infrastructure have caused extensive damage, and public opinion – which no longer perceives the conflict as something distant – appears increasingly uneasy and war-weary. These challenges have prompted the Kremlin to stifle even the slightest signs of dissent in the run-up to the elections, the first since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.